marianne81

About Me

Hello there, my name is Marianne, I'm 37 years old and live in the lovely city 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.
Because of a chronic illness I'm not able to work as I did for years. I worked with disabled children and I loved to do that and I still hope that someday I will be able to do my work (or any other work) again.
My hobbies are:
Sending and receiving postcards and letters, I've started Postcrossing over 3 years ago. I also like drawing (mostly Zentangles, ZIA's Zendalas, ATC but I also like to make mandala's and a sort of cartoonish drawings), painting (I like to use acrylics and aqaurel and mix it with other things like pictures I found in magazines), making cards, and reading (mostly fantasy and thrillers) I also like to watch TV series and movies.
I also like singing and I sing in a ladies choir for almost 2 years now.

I may be kind of new to Swap-Bot but I've been swapping for 3 years now on facebook and the postcrossing forum and have send lots of swaps allready.
Please contact me first before rating me a 1 if it takes too long for my swap to arrive. Sometimes it takes a few days, but most of the times it takes a few weeks or sometimes a few months for mail to arrive in countries overseas, but also to countries like Russia. I'm always sending my swaps in time, if not I wil contact you to let you know and the reason why it will be send out late.

Our postal system doesn't empty mailboxes from saterday until monday, so if I have marked a swap sent on a saterday or sunday, or even on a friday if I posted it after the mailbox was emtied that day it will be postmarked after the weekend.

Favorite Music

When I was a teenager I was a huge fan of Bon Jovi. I still like to listen to Bon Jovi but not as often as I did then. Now I do love Laïs, three Belgium women with beautifull voices who sing folk music, I like it when they sing A-capella. I also like Musicals and Cabaret songs.
But I also like to listen to bands as Apocalyptica, System of a down and Metallica.

Favorite Movies

Here I also like fantasy and thrillers but also science fiction and true stories. And I really like Disney movies.

Favorite Television

I like to watch crime series as CSI, Castle, Law&Order, The mentalist etc.
But I also like series as Doctor Who, Lost, Supernatural, The X-files, Charmed, Rome, Game of Thrones, Grey's Anatomy, ER, House. I like a lot of tv series and sometimes I look for something a little lighter than the ones I mentioned above then I like to watch series as Friends, being Erica and The big bang theorie

Favorite Crafts

Well I like a lot of things. I used to make a lot of little puppets out of felt, and I also liked crocheting, knitting, quilting and cross-stitching. But unfortunately I had to give all these things up not because I didn't like it anymore but because my fingers and hands will not do what I want to do because of my illness.
But I have found a new hobby now I make drawings, mostly Zentangles or Zentangle inspirited things, I do like mandala's and Zendala's and sometimes I like to make some cartoonisch drawings. One of the artists who inspires me the most at this moment is Joanne Fink, she makes beautiful things.
I also discoverd snailmail, it's the perfect combination of my postrelated and crafting hobbies.
I also love to make ATC's and my own postcards using all kinds of techniques.

Postcards and related things

My other addiction is Postcrossing, I used to send cards to friends and people I met on the internet in peer support groups. But since Januari this year I've started Postcrossing. I collect all sorts of cards, but what I like the most are the things peopale write on the back, little stories about them selves, what they are doing where they are living etc.

TEA

I just love to drink tea. But I only drink green, red, white, herbal and none black pure fruit infusion tea's. I'll try every kind of flavour and always in for something new. I participate in factory sealed only swaps and loose tea swaps.

As you can see I drink almost every kind of tea but the black ones. I have some kind of intolerance for the caffeine in the black tea's if I drink it I get ill.
But don't panic if you don't have enough other then black or only black tea's. I won't rate you down if you send me black tea. I just don't drink them myself but will give them to my friends when they come to visit me or will pass them through to another tea lover in another tea swap.

When you send me tea without English, German or Dutch description on the packaging please write me a translation in English (or German or Dutch) and write if it is black tea or not.

My allergies and dislikes

Things I don't like that much, that will be a short list :-) But please read this because I have some allergies both food as non food related ones.

Black tea (I get ill if I drink it but when I do receive black tea I pass it through to someone who likes it)

Coffee, I'm sort of allergic for caffeine.

Things to eat besides the dark chocolate, I'm allergic for lot of things. I must eat gluten, wheat and lactose free for medical reasons. And I'm allergic for everything that contains apple doesn't matter in what form (except for tea with apple flavour that is okay). But when you have something you are sure it is gluten, wheat, lactose and apple free it will be very welcome if there is a list of ingredients on or send with it so I can check :-D
Other eatable things that are sent to me I will give to my friends and family.

cosmetics, shampoo and other stuff like that I'm allergic for parfumes and can't wear make-up because it gives me some kind of allergic reaction.

bracelets, I can't wear them because of the splints I wear, but wen you got me one I pass it through to someone else who can wear it.

the same for rings, I can't wear them because of my silver ring splints I wear for medical reasons on all my fingers.But again If you send me one I pass it through to someone else who can wear them.

Comment: It is always good to receive a package of yours, so much care! Thank you for the postcard for my collection (you've been helping me) and the teas (that's delicious). you always leave my day happy!

Comment: WOW--this took forever to get through the mail and into my box! Things from the Netherlands either come in no time at all or take more than a month as this one did! I'm so glad to have a card with illustrations from a book you grew up with and really loved. I'd like to rewind the clock and take me back to the years of reading to my children--any books we could find at the libraries, but we had no access to books for other countries except for a few from the UK. I SO ENJOYED exploring children's literature with my children because where I grew up I had very little access to any book at all! The town only had 367 people, and we lived on a farm about 3 miles from town where we went to school. I missed childlren's literature completely until I discovered it with my daughter when we headed to the library for the first time when she was 18 months old. WOW! I was amazed at the world of books we found for her and me since we were discovering it together! Thanks for a special card and illustration!